12-gauge: can Modern Warfare 4 save CoD’s decline?

Modern Warfare 3 didn’t progress Activision’s beloved action format and we’re seeing clear signs of a peak. The Call of Duty dial’s been stuck at 11 for years: is this just the publisher’s latest strip-mine victim?

Everything’s blown up. We’ve had a World War. That’s a thing with a capital “W” on both words. When both your words are capped up, how do you increase the intensity? Have a WORLD WAR? Go galactic?

I was recently explaining to a first-time Modern Warfare player why he felt let down by the MW3 campaign. His normal FPS style is to hang back and pick off enemies until it’s safe to move forwards. Claustrophobia and endless respawning was leaving him grumpy. Don’t think about it too much, I said. Run forward, shoot everyone and watch everything blow up.

Is this really what Call of Duty is? I’ve only just got round to playing Modern Warfare 3, and it seems obvious to me that the formula has been taken to the logical conclusion. It’s still the epitome of excitement in the action genre, but I’ve played this game before. At this point it’s easy to argue that Call of Duty has run into a dead-end.

If indications are accurate, franchise sales have peaked. Modern Warfare 3 is now lagging behind Black Ops’ success, and has only recorded about half its predecessor’s figures in its corresponding March. What happened? Is this the disaster many speculated when Guitar Hero went pop? Or is there a way back?

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Single-player Modern Warfare 3 is the spectacle FPS defined. Its barrage of set-pieces is deconstructable if you look even a few inches passed the façade of explosions and bullets, but there’s a lunatic thrill to be had if you leave your brain at the door and rush forward at full-auto. No game does blowing things up better than Modern Warfare, and MW3 is probably the pinnacle of that.

As you should know by now, MW3 is about a third World War, in which a lot of stuff explodes, the Russians go globally hostile and all the president’s men from all countries get kidnapped and are only savable by you and your “mates”. You shoot terrorists from speeding tube trains and every helicopter spirals in flames. There are parts where you really don’t do much apart from push up.

If we’re asking what’s happened to spoil Call of Duty’s growth chart, there’s a horribly obvious answer: it ran out of ideas. You can change the textures on the buildings and topple yet another landmark, but there’s no significant progression from MW2. On an aesthetic level, it’s not clear where Modern Warfare goes from here. I doubt it’s accidental that Rob Bowling, probably the most Modern Warfare-iest person on earth, has chosen this year to leave Infinity Ward. Modern Warfare 3′s done, and the DLC’s fully in motion. That he should decide he’s had enough now, as development on the next game starts proper, could be telling.

Everything’s blown up. We’ve had a World War. That’s a thing with a capital “W” on both words. When both your words are capped up, how do you increase the intensity? Have a WORLD WAR? Go galactic?

Even Spinal Tap understood the concept of
going “one louder”. And their amps didn’t go
to 12.

Modern Warfare 2 was a more private game. Yes, we had Russia invading the US, but it was essentially about special forces on covert operations, about people behind the scenes of normality averting complete disaster. The plot structure is easily reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s The Sum of All Fears, in which you have a catastrophe on US soil (a nuke at a football game in that instance) but total global war is averted. MW3 plays out in public, on the streets of the world’s capitals, with tanks rolling, civilians screaming and armies invading entire continents. The game takes every layer of society and shreds it. It’s 11. It’s difficult to see how the dial can go any higher.

“You’re on ten on your guitar”

Multiplayer, too, appears to have reached a feature-peak. I’ve never seriously got into CoD’s online side, but it’s clear from the amount of debate in the community that it’s hit a creative level. Modern Warfare 3′s multiplayer is not better than what’s come before. There’s no consensus. It’s just another take on a trusted formula rather than a revolution.

We have complaints about drop-shotting, lazy camp points, imbalance in the weapon set, rushed map designs, spawn conflicts, frame-locking, borked hit detection, quick-scoping and all the rest of it. I looked in on the PC version last week and less than 1,000 people were playing a bunch of the public modes. In the latest Call of Duty game? Really?

And while the general experience from a community aspect is very welcoming, all the name-calling is still there. I’ve been called a “noob” and a “fag” a few times because I stayed in one place for 20 seconds and shot some people. That means I’m a camper, apparently. The incidents are isolated, though, and most rounds just end up with a list of “gg” and some smileys. It’s all you can hope for. But “fag”? Isn’t that, like, illegal? And isn’t it plain old?

Modern Warfare 3′s multiplayer is not better than what’s come before. There’s no consensus. It’s just another take on a trusted formula rather than a revolution.

I did have one guy playing techno and screaming, “We’re drunk,” until everyone called him a “retard,” at which point he turned his music up and started whooping. Everyone just laughed. Most people, in the PC version at least, are there for a good time. If anyone gets angry there’s usually someone telling them to not take it so seriously. Open play isn’t an especially vicious environment.

But it’s the same as it ever was. I asked VG247 readers for their opinions on MW3 multiplay as I don’t have an amazing frame of reference, and there was no decisive verdict on which of the recent games is “best”. There’s no one saying, “They’ve really moved it on and fixed everything this time.” Put “Modern Warfare 3 sucks” into YouTube to see what I mean.

Spec Ops is brilliant fun in co-op, and when you add up the entire package MW3′s an essential buy if you’re an action fan, but would you feel the same if you’ve just spent hundreds of hours playing something incrementally different?

Evidence suggests you will, but only to a point. Whether or not this really is it for CoD is highly debatable. It’s important to remember that Modern Warfare 3 was being put together as Infinity Ward imploded in 2010, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too shocked that the concept wasn’t moved forward significantly. Innovation could be found again.

And it’s not as if Activision’s releasing Modern Warfare games every year. The publisher has perfected its staggered development approach to Call of Duty, meaning we’re going to get Black Ops 2 at the end of this year and Infinity Ward’s follow-up shipping at the end of 2013. The next Modern Warfare will have enough of a break to generate excitement again.

But the creative formula does need to change before it burns out. It’s at 11, and it’s been there since CoD4 in 2007. The expected timing for both the next Xbox and PlayStation is Christmas next year, and it may be that new hardware is the number 12 on Modern Warfare’s dial. It needs something: sooner or later everyone gets bored of the same level, no matter how thrilling or polished.

Latest

Shadowrun Online developer Cliffhanger Productions has announced the game’s name has been changed to Shadowrun Chronicles: Boston Lockdown and a release date for April has been set. The new title was formed via the developer and its Kickstarter backers, with the goal being to let those unfamiliar with the game know by the title alone […]

We have a gameplay video featuring Inferno Crucible gameplay featured in the Destiny weekly reset for you. In it, Arekkz Gaming gives you a look at Inferno Crucible and goes over the various intricacies. You can read up on the weekly reset through the links.

Episode 2 for Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is now available. If you’ve purchased the Complete Season, you’ll be able to download Episode 2 on PS3, PS4 and Xbox One. Steam players should see the episode go live around 9-10pm PST, and Xbox 360 owners should be able to download very early tomorrow morning, per Capcom […]

Fatshark Games has released a sneak peek video for its upcoming Games Workshop title, Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide. Vermintide is a FPS, co-op action title coming to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and its set during the End Times of the Warhammer universe in the city of Ubersreik. Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide […]

As you know, Xbox Season Pass holders now have early access to the Ascendance DLC Pack bonus weapons for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Now you can watch a trailer for the weapon. The OHM directed energy hybrid weapon can switch between an LMG and Shotgun “on the fly,” and it also includes the OHM-Werewolf […]

March PlayStation Plus titles have popped up on the PS Plus page. Noticed by NeoGAF user skynidas, the titles include: OlliOlli2 (PS4/VITA) Valiant Hearts: The Great War (PS4) Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty (PS4) Counterspy (PS4/PS3) Papo & Yo (PS3) Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment (PS3) A notice has also been posted on the EU PS […]

Caffeine creator Dylan Browne has announced the Unreal Engine 4 game will be released on Xbox One. The game will be published through Microsoft’s Indie Program. As previously announced, it is also coming to PC and and now PlayStation 4. Caffeine is a sci-fi horror game which stars a young boy who has been abandoned […]

Much like the Xbox One Preview program, starting early this month, invites for the Xbox 360 Preview program will start rolling out. Select invitees will be able to join program directly from their Xbox 360. A special Xbox Live message will be sent, directing users to head over to their Settings page. Further instructions are […]

Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski is said to be in early negotiations to direct the Gran Turismo film. This is according to the Hollywood Reporter, which states Michael De Luca is still slated as one of the producers alongside Matt Milam, Dana Brunetti, Josh Bratman, DeVon Franklin and Elizabeth Cantillon. Plot details are still unknown […]

The Trigger, which is is the fifth add-on pack for Alien: Isolation, is available to download from today. In it, players will “compete against the clock” across three new maps in Survivor Mode. Set before the events of the main game, players step into the shoes of Sevastopol Station’s Ricardo who will do what he […]

Sony has announced the HBO Go app will be made available for download later today for PlayStation 4. The app works just like the PS version. Now you can watch True Detective, Game of Thrones, Veep and more through your console. Information on installation is available through the PS Blog.

Bethesda has announced a beta for Creation Kit update 1.9.33, lifts the 100MB size restriction for Skyrim mod makers. The beta is for both Skyrim’s PC launcher and the Creation Kit which will allow for unlimited file sizes. Here are the notes: Creation Kit 1.9.33 Update Creation Kit now supports unlimited file sizes for mods […]

Mad Max from Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios has been given a September release date, along with the new of a last-gen cancellation. The axing of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were announced via Game Informer. Mad Max is the magazine’s featured game for the April issue. Avalanche, according GI, nixed development on […]

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will be released in September, according to an IGN Italy video, which also features Hideo Kojima discussing “With Metal Gear Solid 5, I’m finally “closing the loop” on the Metal Gear saga. The video has since been removed, but an image cap of the date is posted above. […]

Nintendo has issued a 3DS firmware update which fixes a web browser exploit that was being used to run pirated Game Boy Color ROMs since January as well as inject code within downloadable games. Another piece of code, per Eurogamer, changed the setting on the handheld to make it region-free. The exploit was only available […]

The latest footage from Epic’s new Unreal Tournament has surfaced, and it shows off the game’s first high-textured map which is called Outpost 23. As you can see from Zaccubus’ video, its the same are which Epic showed in the flythrough video from last year, only with updated textures and some new areas outside. The […]

The final add-on for Sunset Overdrive, Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines, will be released in April. On April 1 to be exact. No, that’s not an April Fool’s joke from Insomniac Games either. Below, you can watch a fist-look at the new story, area, and traversal mechanic.

Heroes of the Storm will be playable at EGX Rezzed. This will be the first UK public hands-on with the online team brawler. Blizzard will also host giveaways and friendly tournaments at its stand. Tickets for all three days of Rezzed are still available, and you can purchase a pass through the official website. EGX […]

Data Pack 4 for Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 has been dated, and it updates the game with Winter Transfers, new player faces, and additional stadiums. The latest free update contains real-time player transfers made within the January window, and player ratings have also been updated. Additionally, a number of improved likenesses to key players will […]

Notes for upcoming Patch 5 for Dragon Age: Inquisition have been posted, noting improvements to gameplay and stability, and the new features outlined back in early February. Along with the new party storage system added to the Undercroft at Skyhold, players also have the ability to adjust the size of subtitles. Below you will find […]

Warner Bros. has announced free-to-play mobile titles spanning its DC Comics, Mortal Kombat and Game of Thrones properties. The following five new games under development are: Mortal Kombat X from NetherRealm Studios: The game blends fighting and card collection with cinematic gameplay and Fatalities. Play as both classic and fighters, and if you own the […]

We have ten Wrath of the Gods Founders Packs to giveaway for new RPG Skyforge, worth over $70. All you need to do to win a Wrath of the Gods pack is enter your details in the form below and we’ll pick 10 winners at random on Thursday, March 5, after 3pm GMT. Skyforge is […]

PC gaming is alive and well. In fact, it’s expected to be worth $35 billion by 2018. According to game-business group Open Gaming Alliance, the PC gaming industry is expected to grow beyond its current $26 billion worth and to a massive $35 billion by the year 2018. The information is based on data collected […]

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has received a new patch that gives season pass holders early access to a new weapon and everyone else a myriad of fixes and additions. The patch went live today on Xbox 360 and Xbox One, without any official notes. CharlieIntel reports that among the new additions is the new […]

Destiny’s end game can be a bit obtuse to those not used to MMO games. Fear not, we’ve got a few quick tips on how to crack it. Arekkz Gaming has a video for new players of Destiny or those who are looking to brush up on their knowledge of the game. Today’s theme is […]

Following fan outrage over lack of local co-op support for the PC version of Resident Evil: Revelations 2, Capcom has now added it. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 now officially supports split-screen local co-op in both campaign and raid mode. The update is currently in beta on Steam, but anyone can opt-in to try it. Capcom […]

Destiny’s latest glitch spawns infinite Thralls to help fuel your bounty hunting and loot lust. The glitch is simple to replicate. You’ll need to start The Dark Within mission on Earth, on any difficulty. Then follow the steps in the video below (Via DualShockers) to get to an area out of the map. You’ll then […]

DICE has released the Winter Patch for Battlefield 4. The patch brings an eSports focus with new game mode Squad Obliteration and plenty more. Battlefield 4 Winter Patch is now live on all platforms. It’s just over 400MB on PC and 1.34GB on consoles. The patch adds new game mode Squad Obliteration and more customisation […]

37 Comments

I was genuinely surprise with Black Ops.Only thing that I didn’t love is zombie mode which get old to fast for me.SP and MP, were amazing ,some maps in MP could have been better ,but I think they are still better then those in MW3.I really think Black Ops 2 is going to push CoD to the max.
Just remember how much vehicles there where in SP(more then all modern warfare combine.)

I don’t think any of you realizes that nothing of what you say or think and nothing of what the developers do matters anymore. There is only one man who decides the fate of this game and he already made his choice.

I reckon the age group they went for didn,t help tbh.
Kids have a very short attention span for the most part and tend to move on to the next cool thing very quickly.

A good example is my own kid who played the nuts out of 2 and then just moved on as did all her friends as well.
She insisted I got 3 day 1, played it for a few hours and that was that.

To go to the other end of the spectrum for the older gamer like myself then.
I loved the sp in the cod games cod1 was brilliant and cod2 on the 360 played on veteran was a real challenge but very enjoyable as the gun you were using did make a difference to your progress.

I played mw2 on vet first time out and had very few problems with it.
Got in to the mp and really enjoyed it for a while then bit by bit got kinda bored of the same old spawn die spawn kill get your killstreaks and its over.

Played 3 and decided to just run and gun with sub machine guns like the p90 and did as well as I did in 2 without any real skill involved.

In a nutshell I just got bored of the formula tbh and walked away.
If the sp had been any good I would buy the next one but the truth is it was pure rubbish and more concerned with been set pieces rather than been a good challenging game.

I am certain the next few will do well but not as well as mw2 ever did.

I hated infinite re-spawn, which to me, there is zero skill esp since if your quick enough you could just run to each checkpoint. Even if you worked your ass off, ducking, dodging shots and you cleared the entire room, and have barely any ammo left, bam, all re-spawned.

Loved MW2 SP as it had more variety of missions that i didnt mind going back to. MP was good for me as well the maps were my favs, though would have been nice to have a few from COD4 as we never had any night time maps.

Blackops SP was boring, no skill cuz of the re-spawn. MP some of the maps were good just didnt like the layout of everything. Combat training was a great idea but completely ruined by only being able to use it online and with a gold membership. They said it was to get people who don’t play online into MP, i think it would have better offline then so it could get all those who dont have the net, dont have gold to see what MP could be like, therefore probably increasing gold memberships.

Zombies never really interested me, I would have preferred the difficulty to change if your doing it on your own or 2 player.

Biggest turn off for me though is kids online. I’m 30 and to hear kids as young as 12 screaming, shouting, some even crying when they cant win.

On top of that, you also have to take into consideration that Black Ops is still one of the most played games around today.

Acti are still supporting it through Elite, and it still has a huge community who love CoD, but don’t see the need to move on to MW3.

The demand for the brand is still as strong as ever, but if anything, it’s just spread slightly more thinly over a number of titles.

For example, one of my original CoD4 clan mates, has racked up well over 26 days (over 600 hours) playing time on Black Ops, but he hates MW3.

It’s not because he’s bored of CoD, He just prefers BO’s style to MW3′s.

I’m the other way around. I can’t really play BO since I’ve had MW3, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like CoD any more, either.

The real issue here is basically this: You non-CoD types just don’t understand the game.

When you talk about ‘new ideas’, you’re asking for something that you yourselves can’t even imagine.

You’re all like: “Entertain me! I don’t know how, just do some new stuff… Make it good! Make it different than before! I need different!”

The problem is, the vast majority of you have probably never played CoD for more than 10 hours anyway, so you’re not qualified to know what new ideas are in the MP or not.

And reading other people’s complaints on forums isn’t really a worthwhile exercise either, because, as we all should know by now, whingers make the most noise. The satisfied customers are busy playing the game.

You don’t have to look at forums, or read into long and short tails in periods of economic decline to hypothesise on the fall of CoD.

You’ll know when it happens, because the most played CoD version at the time will drop below 2nd place in the 360 charts.

The second that happens, we know that people are beginning to lose interest.

As for people insulting you, well sorry Pat, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with the game.

People (including myself) have been hating campers since the days of the very first FPS.

@15 – I’m not saying it’s really bad. It’s still massive, and it’s going to be for some time. I do think it needs to change in some way, though, or people simply aren’t going to keep buying it year-in-year-out.

I’ve played every Call of Duty to completion in SP, apart from CoD III, for some reason. Like, I really like it and always have done, and I certainly do “understand” it. But we’ve seen time and again that if you annualise games they suffer franchise burn. I’m personally at the point where I just can’t justify it any more. I mean, I’ll do it from a professional perspective because it’s Call of Duty and I have to, but if was “just” a punter I would have run out of steam with it now. The games will always be on my list because they’re awesome, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen things blowing up now. I was shocked at how samey MW3 was.

There definitely is a problem in that they’re fracturing the multiplayer community with too many games. There are only a finite amount of people that want to play it, and it’s showing. People are sticking with the instalments they like and numbers for the latest game are down compared to previous ones. That means excitement for the next one and the next one and the next one is diminished, and that really isn’t good for them.

I’m just waiting for the release that isn’t backed up with the press release that says it’s the biggest entertainment launch of all time. Is it BO2? MW4? I think those sales figures are very telling, personally. I get the feeling they’ve pushed it too hard.

Thanks for playing in our matches against EG, btw. I have a feeling you won it for us

I’m not someone who plays everyday or even every week so I’m less likely to buy map packs at the full price esp since you get them and 6-9months later the new COD is out and you start playing that more.

My suggestion is that they treat the maps more like rock band tracks (not releasing every wk) but the export feature so when a new COD comes, you can export those maps to the next game, even if you have to pay an export key, a lot of people would still do that.

I understand what Pats saying about the SP, we’ve pretty much seen it all now, we’ve seen a global conflict, whats left to see? How can you top that?

To quote Harry S Plinket:

“In the new [Star Trek] we see two whole planets blowing up -almost three- we see super novas, black holes, black holes sucking up super novas. So what can be blown up next?; The Galaxy? The Universe?! The first film kicked off the franchise really well, but if you keep trying to top the previous film, then its in danger of burning itself out too quickly when you go too far, Star Trek will just need another reboot in five years like everything else.”

CoD seems to have done everything it can do, so really, whats left for it? The franchise is burned out at this point, its shined so bright it caught fire.

I only managed to play two games, right at the end of the session. I think JC’s skills had more of an impact than mine… Hehe…

As far the future goes though, the way I see it, Black Ops 2 will surely be the last current-gen (only) CoD. A 2013 release for the next-gen consoles will surely mean that ‘MW4′ will launch on at least one of them. And to be blunt, I don’t see MS changing from it’s policy of hitting Acti up for some sort of exclusivity deal.

I think that getting a CoD game for a next-gen launch is going to re-define the term ‘killer-app’.

So it may turn out that the next-gen console power is the shot in the arm that so many people are looking for.

Indeed, and that wouldn’t be the first comment i’ve seen wishing that the series returns to it’s WWII roots either.

It’s quite telling when all Joe Punter can think of to reinvigorate the series is to take it back to the setting that everybody four years ago was totally and utterly sick of.

CoD just *works* for many folks – hence it’s mammoth success. It’s accessible, playable and satisfying. Outside of some spit, polish and sheen; I don’t hold any hope for a next-gen CoD shaking up the status quo too much.

A large bulk of this gen was built on the backs of competitive Online Multieplayer Shooters. The market is over run with them. And if you look around you see people talking about being burnt out with the gen.

So in my mind it stands to reason that when people say that it comes down to more then just hardware, its also the games they play. More so it is the experience those games provide. Shooters, prolly more then almost any other game I can think of, offer the same tied and worn out repeatitive gameplay. Doesn’t matter if it is Frontline, BF, MoH, or CoD. It is esentialy the same thing.

There was a freshness that was there for CoD4 that simply isn’t there anymore for most fans. That doesn’t make it a bad experience, but it does make it hard to hook the same players over and over for the same experience. Fan base growth and sales growth can’t be infinite.

Oh don’t get me wrong G1GA, I think Online FPS games will be a staple for many many years. I just don’t think they will remain king. I think they will decline somewhat. Kind of like in the 8/16bit days we were over run with platformers/2D shooters/fighters. Those games are still big, but there is a lot more focus on other generes too.

I think the next big console boom could be MMOs if things stay in a traditional console model. If things go streaming/heavy digital I think many of the big boys will struggle to find the same space and market share in a crowded sea of indie and smaller games(think app stores/Steam, where small time indies can do very well and the name on the game means less then the experience to be had).

I still play Rockband/GH but they aren’t the monster draws that they were a few years ago. I figure same type of thing for FPS games. There is alot of parrelel there. Like with RB/GH regaurdles of the song, your gameplay is the samething. Reagurdless of the game/map in a fps, your gameplay is the same. It just isn’t sustainable at such high numbers for so long. I think anyways.

Such is the life cycle of a video game. Once everyone wanted a ‘Me too” mario game. Now EA(and others) would just about sacrifice their first born to make themself a better selling version of CoD.

Speaking as a Singleplayer gamer, I found MW3 as step back from Black Ops. If anything, it’s Black Ops 2 that CAN save COD’s decline. MW3′s story and singleplayer campaign was laughable even by Micheal Bay / COD2 standards.
Also, the gameplay wasn’t as polished as MW2. At least Black Ops tried to hide the lack of perfect gameplay from MW2 with lots of blood and gore. I know, not a sophisticated solution but if it is used, I won’t complain.

For me Th best call of duty yet is black ops because of wager match all the new game modes, the new unlock system, the good spawn system, Zombies and Almost all the maps are amazing. Treyarch really knows how to make games especially FPS-maps, Sledgehammer don´t know how to make a good MP-game and the broken infinity ward these days can´t even make a proper SP anymore. The SP in MW3 really blew, the only good mission was the last one the others were shit.

I understand why people are pulling the trigger on headlines like that, but in my opinion it has everything to do with the quality of the games, and less with the actual idea itself.

For me MW3 was a significant step back, following Black Ops which was a minor step back. It’s not so much the fact that they’ve dialed it up to 11 and stayed there – I think you can quite easily sustain that. It’s been huge on adrenaline since the first game, and like Pat points out, you can show many sides of a war depending on what you want to do. There’s no reason why you couldn’t end that war, replace the enemies, and do a more covert oriented game for that matter.

The sense I get is that the developers have gotten too self-conscious following MW2 and the Activision foul-up. Suddenly it’s all about toning things down and letting internet chatter decide where to take things. That’s just not the way to go in my opinion. You need spine if you’re going to thrill people, instead of serving them exactly what they might expect.

Modern Warfare didn’t become a monster by toning things down, it became a monster for turning them way the fuck up. Going the other way makes this sort of decline pretty logical to me.

Zampella and West could well turn out to be the tipping point. I have no idea how they ran their operation, but MW3 to me is a lesser game in every respect but interface and engineering. The attention to detail just isn’t there anymore, and maybe that’s because the visionaries have left the building.

I definitely don’t think the problem is the fact that you have a longrunning shooter series, or the fact that it hasn’t changed much. As long as you deliver every time, I don’t see how that would be a problem. Even if the tech has to improve at some point.

I’m coming from the MP perspective as I’ve only played a few of the campaigns (only 4, WAW fully through).

I can’t speak for everyone obviously, but I am willing to bet that most do not care what the story is in the game; they are more focused on fixing online issues- weapon balance, perks, map designs, etc.

Now I understand that you need a story for the game, albeit they’ve had hackneyed ideas for the last few years, but what do the majority of the people buying the game do? Play the campaign? Spec Ops? Zombies maybe, but the majority (and definitely the most replay value) goes into the MP experience.

With each game that comes out, it seems they always manage to (hopefully) eliminate a few of the previous problems, yet always create more, making a rather bad cycle. I’ve played all of them from 4 to MW3, and I can’t stand playing MW3 because of the numerous problems it has.

And I personally believe that we’ve seen enough facets from the CoD’s collectively put out to date that they COULD make a great MP experience without anything revolutionary to add, though I know they’ll get the media going with some new sensational crap-that-sounds-cool-yet-is-horrid, and the MP experience will be ruined, again.

@13 – you can play with bots offline in versus mode in black ops, just check match settings. The downside is that you start out with everything unlocked, so you may have less incentive to progress and play.

I like black ops the best simply because you can sometimes climb head-high walls. I HATE being a refrigerator box with a gun, and in black ops, I’m at least a refrigerator with arms. I want to be able to complete a military obstacle course in a military shooter.

COD2 was the best, for competitive gaming back in the this was king (next to CSS of course).

But COD4 Promod is where its at for competitive.

MW2 was ok for the first two days then it got boring and the dramatic unbalanced issues started to show.

W@W was just COD2 was a lick of paint, although zombies was fun.

Black Ops, is still by far the best COD game since COD4. They actually tried to add new stuff. Face paints, custom emblems (yea sure there were a lot of dick pics), interactive maps that changed people play style, awesome guns (best ak47 ever, ak74u, gaili, aug, famas, etc), sniping that actually takes skill and feels like a sniper not a laser beam.

MW3 by far the worst COD game ever. Sniping is a piece of piss and anyone whos anyone can quickscope now. Dual FMG’s are STILL overpowered even post patch. There are more things that are for noobs in MW3 than any other COD game. Support Killstreaks, so people who die all the time can still get jug, or stealth bomber… WTF is that shit!!???? They also have more plantable explosives than any other COD, claymores, c4, i.m.s, Bouncing Betty. The game was made for noobs.

The main thing COD needs is a new engine, they still insist on using this dated piece of shit modded quake 3 engine.

This week’s Deals with Gold titles for Xbox Live subscribers is a good mix of modern games and old favourites. The list of discounted games through this week’s Deals with Gold is live with discounts on Assassin’s Creed Unity, Amazing Spider-Man 2, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne 3, and more. The deals are live now […]

Destiny players regularly compare the size of their Grimoire Points. Learn how to make yours the biggest. Destiny guide: how to earn Grimoire Points In Destiny, earning most Grimoire cards is just a matter of playing the game, maybe a little more attentively than usual. You’ll either need to complete a certain number of actions […]

Shovel Knight owners will benefit from the generosity of Kickstarter backers quite soon. Because Shovel Knight was overfunded during its Kickstarter campaign, developer Yacht Club Games committed to releasing free content updates. The first of these, Plague of Shadows, has now been detailed. The expansion stars baddy Plague Knight, who turns on his former allies, […]

GTA has a long history of controversy. The latest Did You Know Gaming tells the full stories behind the sensational headlines. Grand Theft Auto is such a byword for controversy that it’s easy to forget the full context of what actually happened to bring mainstream press, politicians and interest group awareness to the Rockstar series. […]

PlayStation Now will expand to the tune of five new games this month. The March PS Now additions are Infamous 2, Twisted Metal, R-Type Dimensions, Alone in the Dark: Inferno and Operation Flashpoint: Red River. PS Now will set you back $20 per month or $45 for a three month subscription. It offers all you […]

Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster hits PS4 in May. The PS4 release date for Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster is May 12 in North America and May 15 in Europe. Gematsu reports a special pre-order bonus calendar with art by Yoshitaka Amano is available through the Square Enix Store and participating retailers. In Europe, pre-ordering […]

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare players can now aspire to the ranks of Grand Master Prestige. Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games will add 15 more Prestige levels to the latest Call of Duty, giving players at max XP a chance to grow even further. According to the Sledgehammer Games blog, when you enter Master level […]

Destiny’s toughest challenge gets even nastier if you throw Creepers into the mix. The ultimate Destiny challenge – for now – is the Crota’s End raid. Taking place in an alternate dimension accessed through the Hellmouth on the Moon, the Raid takes Guardians through a pit of darkness to the resting place of Crota himself. […]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D protagonist Shulk is the Heir to the Monado, his distinctive red sword. Let this trailer fill you in on what that means. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D releases for New 3DS on April 2 in Europe and April 10 in North America. As well as all the content of the Wii original, it has […]

The Elder Scrolls: Total War is a terrific mod allowing you get get intimately involved with the history of Bethesda’s detailed fantasy universe. The first release of The Elder Scrolls: Total War dropped on the weekend, giving players their first chance to try out LoRdNazgu1‘s creation. This version runs from 3E 427 to 4E 45, […]

Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is out now. Yes, we’re surprised too. You can grab Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 on Steam for $8. Developer Scott Cawthon really doesn’t mess about; the game was only announced in early January. Here’s the blurb: Thirty years after Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza closed it’s doors, the events that took […]

EVE Online is a hotbed of villainy, espionage and backstabbing, but one intrepid corporate thief has made waves even in this setting. The thing about EVE Online is that it’s a true sandbox: the game’s rules are very loose, and allow players to make careers out of theft, piracy, assassination and espionage in addition to […]

Nintendo of America has announced a fresh supply of the difficult to find Marth Amiibo. The Marth Amiibo will be back in stock in the US in late April, the platform holder said on Twitter today. Planning to pick up Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. and don’t have a Marth amiibo? More are headed to stores in […]

Skyrim has been granted a new beta update – more than three years after launch! – to improve the experience for modders and those who use them. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim released in November 2011. I think that’s worth noting before we discuss the beta update that dropped today, even as Bethesda is working […]

Knights of Pen & Paper 2 is very serious business so please enjoy this very serious trailer. “Return to the dicey world of Knights of Pen & Paper for a new turn-based adventure, where players get to take on the role of players, and also of the game’s encounter-designing, rules-laywering GM in a fully customizable […]

Amplitude may have been delayed but we still get something this March: a fine new gameplay trailer. Amplitude is coming to PlayStation 3 and PS4 sometime in northern summer. It’s a reprisal of Harmonix’s classic rhythm action game, a forerunner to its later efforts with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and was crowdfunded. Update: Turns […]

DayZ creator Dean “Rocket” Hall has dropped the first vague details of his new game project. “I do not want to make safe games. I do not want to make games the way we have been making them. What if the most experienced video game staff in the world collaborated on the most esoteric and […]

AMD has confirmed what most Battlefield fans thought. Battlefield Hardline will indeed support Mantle. Battlefield Hardline will support Mantle, AMD has confirmed. Some players weren’t sure whether the retail version of the game will support AMD’s API, due to its absence from the recent PC beta. AMD did not say whether the feature will be […]

Unreal Engine 4 is a pretty versatile bit of tech, as this new sizzle reel shows. As one of the more ubiquitous engines, Unreal will be on show at GDC this week. Developer Epic produced the following sizzle reel to quickly demonstrate what it can do – cutting edge graphics (there are very few games […]

The latest Survarium patch has readjusted the value of experience and reputation points gained and removed the limit to the maximum amount of ammo you can use in combat. Survarium developer Vostok Games has released patch 0.27a to the public, having recently finished testing it. The patch is a major one and covers changes to […]

Bloodborne is so close you can almost smell its coppery tang on the wind – and also you can watch commercials for it. Bloodborne arrives on PS4 at the end of this month (March 24 North America, March 25 Europe, March 27 UK) so excitement is starting to build. Sony isn’t helping keep us calm […]

Blizzard will soon allow World of Warcraft players to exchange in-game gold for game time and vice versa. Blizzard has announced a new system that will launch soon for World of Warcraft. The system is called WoW Token. Using this system, players will be able to buy game time using in-game gold. Here’s how it […]

Remember 3D Realms’ Bombshell? The isometric ARPG that was announced last year? Well, it’s back, and we get to see gameplay footage. The game stars Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison, a bomb technician turned mercenary with a mechanical arm. She will embark on a quest to rescue the president and save Earth, all while shooting aliens. The […]

Epic Games has made Unreal Engine 4 available for anyone to download and use, for free. Unreal Engine 4 is now free. Anyone can download it and start using it, the developer announced today in a blog post. The download features the the full set of tools used by Epic, and includes 100% of the […]

The winner of the European round of the Call of Duty Championship has been announced. This past weekend, 28 teams representing UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, the rest of Europe and Middle East attended the final of the European round of the Call of Duty Championship. UK team Epsilon eSports was crowned […]

GOG.com is bringing back its Insomnia sale event with even more games. GOG’s Insomnia sale is back with double the amount of games. This year, there will be two sets of games available at once. The sets are seasoned classics and fresh new titles. Each set will feature games with discounts up to 90% off, […]

2K will be shutting down the servers for NBA 2K14 this month. The publisher revealed yesterday that online servers for NBA 2K14 will be turned offline on March 31. “You will no longer be able to play ranked games/online association,” reads the announcement. NBA 2K14 relied on online servers to store save files for MyCareer […]

A Dead or Alive tournament organiser has suggested a soft ban on some of the game’s “over-sexualised” costumes, and not everyone is happy. Tournament organiser “The HuBBs” took to the FreeStepDodge forums to suggest a list of rules that other offline tournaments can follow. The list goes over stages, characters, moves, which is certainly in […]

Bungie hosted an open house Q&A session with the community last week and lots of exciting news have come out of it. Arekkz Gaming has gathered all the information that came out of Bungie’s open house Q&A in one handy video. The list is massive, going over Exotic weapon balance, upcoming events, PVE, Crucible rewards, […]

Developers behind space exploration games Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen will honour the memory of Leonard Nimoy through in-game memorials. The develops of both games have confirmed separately that in-game memorials will be established to honour the memory of the late Star Trek actor, Leonard Nimoy, famous for playing Spock. Elite: Dangerous executive producer Michael […]

Amazon’s latest PlayStation 4 deal is not one to miss. With purchase of a PlayStation 4 console from Amazon in the US, the online retailer will throw in digital codes for Infamous Second Son, Killzone Shadow Fall and The Last of Us: Remastered, all for the same MSRP of $399. The Last of Us Remastered […]

The method one Redditor possibly used to leak some details from Destiny’s House of Wolves was the same one he used to predict the inventory of Xur: Agent of the Nine. Last week, Reddit user Megamanexe4 leaked a few pieces of House of Wolves expansion content. The leaks included strikes, new Crucible mode, and a […]

Mortal Kombat X will be releasing on mobile devices in some form, just not the one you except. Mortal Kombat X is coming to Android and iOS devices as an extension of the main game. It will launch in April alongside the console versions. The mobile game will be part card collecting and part fighting […]

Kojima Productions will unveil something about Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain this Wednesday. Metal Gear Solid fans should standby for a Phantom Pain-related announcement on Wednesday, March 4. According to developer Kojima Productions’ Twitter, there’s going to be an announcement at 2pm GMT on Wednesday. The developer posted the following image. The image […]

We’d really appreciate it if you could fill in this survey about the websites you read and the games you buy. It massively helps! You can fill out the survey right here and obviously all the information you supply is confidential. It helps us build a better picture of the people who read our site […]

Battlefield Hardline’s Premium membership will give players access to 4 new features, early access to expansion packs and more. EA detailed the offer today – it costs $50 in total (£40 in the UK) and gives players a whole bundle of new gear and content. Check it all out in handy list form below: Masks […]

Voice actor and Hollywood writer David Hayter discusses the differences between movies and games. And politely declines my leading question. “It might be fun to do a crazy, over-the-top film version of Saint’s Row.” Yeah, that headline is a bit cheap but you’re reading the work of a man who once asked the maker of […]

Microsoft has knocked up to £100 off Xbox One bundles in the UK. The Xbox One with Kinect Assassin’s Creed bundle is now £100 cheaper and comes with a free £20 voucher to be spent on the official Microsoft online store. Over on the Xbox online store there’s a £70 price cut on the white […]

Free-to-play 3DS title Pokemon Shuffle has been downloaded over 1 million times. As a reward for playing the match-3 puzzle game Nintendo has gifted players a Complexity -1 item for free. The item reduces the difficulty of a level, according to Eurogamer. By all accounts Pokemon Shuffle is a cynical game with poorly implemented microtransactions. […]

FrozenByte Games has revealed Trine 3, due for release in 2015 And what better way to reveal a new side-scrolling adventure than with a very pretty trailer full of gameplay? The latest in a series that has already sold 7 million copies is earmarked for PC and “other” formats. Trine 2 released on PS3, PS3, […]

A month since it was released on digital platforms, Dying Light’s physical release has topped the UK charts. Techland and Warner’s zombie survival game has proven to be one of the big hits of the year so far. It was released on digital formats a month ago but has only just been released on good-old […]

Think you can take down a jet plane with a grenade throw? This guy can. In fact, he can do it twice. This is in a variation on the player-created deathmatch “Stunters Versus Snipers” which seem to be all the rage in GTA Online at the moment. One team has a sniper rifle (and grenades) […]

The Phantom Pain looks nice even when Kojima just takes a quick pic with his phone. Look at that beauty. We get nice reflection in pink at the first gray of dawn.
pic.twitter.com/aERTBoZT9z — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 2, 2015 The game doesn’t have a release date yet, which makes us a bit nervous for it […]

Dying Light still has legs – maybe because it’s crammed full of secret things to discover. Ten of those have been highlighted by TerraMantis’ latest YouTube video, including reference to the Underpant Gnomes, guitar lessons, farting zombies and well, we don’t want to spoil it for you. Even if you think you’ve seen everything in […]

Why blind ‘em with science when you could kill ‘em with dance moves? revelations raid When I say Resident Evil: Revelations 2‘s Raid Mode dance gestures are deadly, I’m not being figurative. If you finish the first chapter of Revelations 2 you can unlock Gina for use in Raid Mode. All characters can use gestures […]

“Male Inquisitors can now scale the wall,” says a clever Redditor. A new Dragon Age: Inquisition mod removes Blackwall’s romantic restrictions, allowing male Inquisitors to chat up the fuzzy-faced warrior. Blackwall doesn’t have any race preferences, so you’re good to go there. Dragon Age: Inquisition romance mods are pretty common by now, and to be […]

Destiny players willing to faff about with their system clock can solo the Weekly Nightfall if they prefer. The Weekly Heroic is one of Destiny‘s toughest challenges. Responding to player feedback Bungie implemented matchmaking for the Weekly Heroic, but there are players who genuinely prefer to go it alone. There’s now no legitimate way to […]

A Clayfighter remake is inbound, apparently. Interplay has announced a Clayfighter remaster, combining the content of all past games into one package. Features include: Characters such as Bad Mr. Frosty, Blue Suede Goo, Earthworm Jim, Hoppy, Boogerman, Tiny – and more with over 20 characters total Over 20 familiar environments from the series to duke […]

Dying Light players! Are you sick of picking your way carefully up the sides of tall towers? Have I got a trick for you. The parkour system in Dying Light is okay, but climbing anywhere especially high can be a bit tedious. Enter Jesse Lester, who took a look at the tools available and worked […]

Destiny developer Bungie won’t stop tinkering with Exotic weapons. In Destiny, Exotic weapons are supposed to be the best of the best – and to feel unique. Guns like Ice Breaker and Gjallahorn definitely hit the mark there (although less so when everyone has one), but unfortunately, there are a few that just don’t strike […]

Uncharted 4′s first proper trailer bears some remarkable similarities to the opening moments of a much earlier Naughty Dog game. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has more in common with Crash Bandicoot than you might think. It’s Naughty Dog’s first game on a new console, yes – but if you compare Uncharted 4′s E3 2014 […]

Sonic Team leader Takashi Iizuka has said there are no plans to stop making Sonic games. Sonic hasn’t retired from the ranks just yet. “Please rest assured, I personally have no plans to stop making Sonic games for home consoles,” Iizuka told 4Gamer [Japanese]. The comment arose after the site asked if Sonic would become […]

Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones will soon be available on PlayStation platforms, if a trophy list is to be believed. Stealth Inc. 2 initially launched as a Wii U exclusive, disappointing fans of Curve Studios’ tough action game. We’ve heard nothing to contradict this, but Exophase, a generally reliable source, has dug up […]

Runescape developer Jagex is working on something new. According to Jagex’s careers page, the developer has a new, unannounced game in the works. Its advertisement for a lead programmer makes explicit mention of an “undisclosed MMO”. The ad mentions the new title is in “the preliminary stages of redefining the cross platform MMORPG genre” and […]

Destiny developer Bungie has said it will change the way Crucible rewards work. Destiny players are always complaining about the perfidy of RNGesus, but there’s one area where it particularly hurts: the Crucible. PvP players often receive nothing at all for excellent performances, and sometimes Guardians receive the best drops merely for logging in as […]

Azure Striker Gunvolt is getting a sequel. Azure Striker Gunvolt developer Inti Creates has confirmed that the sidescroller has been popular enough to warrant a second instalment. The sequel will also be released on 3DS, the team said on Facebook. Very little information is available at present, unfortunately. “As time goes on we will have […]

Life is Strange developer Dontnod Entertainment has said the second episode is on track for release this month. I guess it would know. Life is Strange Episode 2 has been expected on March 13, but late last week Square Enix told Destructoid it had been delayed. Dontnod has since denied this report, describing it as […]

Job Simulator is the first game to be announced specifically for SteamVR, Valve’s virtual reality tech. Shoot Many Robots and Aaaaa! For the Awesome! developer Owlchemy Labs is the first team to put its hand up and say it’s worked with SteamVR. In a blog post, the studio unveiled Job Simulator, which will be playable […]

The first SteamVR announce is a headset a manufactured by HTC, the Taiwanese mobile company revealed over the weekend. Valve told us last week it planned to unveil virtual reality hardware at GDC, calling it “SteamVR” at the time. Now HTC has pre-empted Valve by revealing Vive, a headset developed thanks to a collaboration between […]

Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2K and Turtle Rock Studios have announced a tournament being hosted by ESL, which will see Evolve players take on newest movie robot, Chappie. The ESL has teamed up with Twitch for the live 4 on 1 competitive event, and you can watch as it all unfolds tomorrow, March 1 at 3pm […]